The people of Lut rejected (his) warning. We sent against them a violent Tornado
with showers of stones, (which destroyed them), except Lut's household: them We delivered
by early Dawn,- As a Grace from Us: thus do We reward those who give thanks. And
(Lut) did warn them of Our Punishment, but they disputed about the Warning. (Surat
al-Qamar:, 33-36)

Lut lived at the same time as Ibrahim. The Old Testament says that Lut was
Ibrahim's nephew and that they travelled some distance together in Ibrahim's long
journeys.

Lut was sent as a messenger to one of Ibrahim's neighbouring communities.
These people, as the Quran tells us, practiced a perversion unknown to the world up
to then, namely sodomy. When Lut told them to give up this perversion and brought them
Allah's warning, they denied him, refused his prophethood, and carried on with their
perversion. In the end, these people were destroyed by a dreadful disaster.

The city where Lut resided is referred to as Sodom in the Old Testament.
Being situated at the north of the Red Sea, this community is understood to have been
destroyed just as it is written in the Quran. Archaeological studies reveal that the
city is located in the area of the Dead Sea which stretches along the Israel-Jordan
border.

Before examining the remains of this disaster, lets see why the
people of Lut were punished in this fashion. The Quran tells how Lut warned his
people and what they said in reply;

The people of Lut rejected the messengers. Behold, their brother Lut said to them:
Will ye not fear (Allah)? I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust. So fear Allah
and obey me. No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward is only from the lord of the
Worlds. Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males, And leave those whom
Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all
limits)! They said: If thou desist not, O Lut! thou wilt assuredly be cast
out! He said: I do detest your doings. (Surat ash-Shuara: 160-168)

The people of Lut threatened him in response to his inviting them to the
right way. His people detested him because of his showing them the right way, and wanted
to banish both him and the other believers beside him. In other verses, the event is told
as follows;

We also (sent) Lut: He said to his people: Do ye commit lewdness such as no
people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practise your lusts on men in
preference to women : ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds. And his people gave no answer but this: they said, Drive them out of your city:
these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure! (Surat al-Araf: 80-82)

Lut called his people to an obvious truth and warned them explicitly, but
his people did not heed any warnings whatsoever and continued to reject Lut and to deny
the penalty of which he told them.

And (remember) Lut: behold, he said to his people: Ye do commit lewdness, such
as no people in Creation (ever) committed before you. Do ye indeed approach men, and cut
off the highway?- and practise wickedness (even) in your councils? But his people
gave no answer but this: they said: Bring us the Wrath of Allah if thou tellest the
truth. (Surat al-Ankaboot: 28-29)

Receiving the above answer from his people, Lut asked for the help of
Allah,

He said: O my Lord! help Thou me against people who do mischief! (Surat
al-Ankaboot: 30)

O my Lord! deliver me and my family from such things as they do! (Surat
ash-Shuara: 169)

Upon Luts prayer, Allah sent two angels in the form of men. These
angels visited Ibrahim before coming to Lut. Giving Ibrahim the good news that his wife
would give birth to an infant, the messengers explained the reason of their being sent:
the insolent people of Lut were to be destroyed.

(Ibrahim) said: And what, O ye Messengers, is your errand (now)? They
said, We have been sent to a people (deep) in sin; To bring on, on them, (a shower
of) stones of clay (brimstone), Marked as from thy Lord for those who trespass beyond
bounds. (Surat adh-Dhariyat: 31-34)

Excepting the adherents of Lut: them we are certainly (charged) to save (from
harm),- All - Except his wife, who, We have ascertained, will be among those who will lag
behind. (Surat al-Hijr: 59-60)

After leaving Ibrahims company, the angels, who were sent as
messengers, came to Lut. Not having met the messengers before, Lut first became anxious,
but then calmed down after talking to them;

When Our messengers came to Lut, he was grieved on their account and felt himself
powerless (to protect) them. He said: This is a distressful day. (Surah
Hud: 77)

He said: Ye appear to be uncommon folk. They said: Yea, we have
come to thee to accomplish that of which they doubt. We have brought to thee that which is
inevitably due, and assuredly we tell the truth. Then travel by night with thy household,
when a portion of the night (yet remains), and do thou bring up the rear: let no one
amongst you look back, but pass on whither ye are ordered. And We made known this
decree to him, that the last remnants of those (sinners) should be cut off by the morning.
(Surat al-Hijr: 62-66)

Meanwhile, his people had learned that Lut had visitors. They did not
hesitate to approach these visitors perversely as they had approached others before. They
encircled the house. Being afraid for his visitors, Lut addressed his people as
follows;

They said: Did we not forbid thee (to speak) for all and
sundry? (Surat al-Hijr: 70)

Thinking that he and his visitors subjected to evil treatment, Lut
said:

Would that I had power to suppress you or that I could betake myself
to some powerful support. (Surah Hud: 80)

His visitors reminded him that they were the messengers of
Allah and said;

(The Messengers) said: O Lut! We are Messengers from thy Lord! By no means
shall they reach thee! now travel with thy family while yet a part of the night remains,
and let not any of you look back: but thy wife (will remain behind): To her will happen
what happens to the people. Morning is their time appointed: Is not the morning
nigh? (Surah Hud: 81)

When the perversity of the city people reached its fullest extent, Allah
saved Lut by means of the angels. In the morning, his people were destroyed by the
disaster of which Lut had informed them in advance.

And they even sought to snatch away his guests from him, but We blinded their eyes.
(They heard:) Now taste ye My Wrath and My Warning. Early on the morrow an
abiding Punishment seized them: (Surat al-Qamar: 37-38)

The verses describe the destruction of this people as follows;

But the (mighty) Blast overtook them before morning, And We turned (the cities)
upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay. Behold! in this are
Signs for those who by tokens do understand. And the (cities were) right on the high-road.
(Surat al-Hijr: 73-76)

When Our Decree issued, We turned (the cities) upside down, and rained down on them
brimstones hard as baked clay, spread, layer on layer,-Marked as from thy Lord: Nor are
they ever far from those who do wrong! (Surah Hud: 82-83)

But the rest We destroyed utterly. We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone):
and evil was the shower on those who were admonished (but heeded not)! : Verily in this is
a Sign: but most of them do not believe. And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might,
Most Merciful. (Surat ash-Shuara: 172-175)

When the people were destroyed, only Lut and the believers, who were only
as many as one household, were saved. Luts wife did not believe either
and she was also destroyed.

We also (sent) Lut: He said to his people: Do ye commit lewdness such as no
people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practise your lusts on men in preference to women : ye are indeed a people
transgressing beyond bounds.And his people gave no answer but this: they said, Drive them out of your city:
these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!But we saved him and his family, except his wife: she was of those who legged behind.And we rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): Then see what was the end of those
who indulged in sin and crime! (Surat al-Araf: 80-84)

Thus, Prophet Lut was saved along with the believers and his family with
the exception of his wife. As described in the Old Testament, he emigrated with Ibrahim.
As for the perverted people, they were destroyed and their dwellings were razed to the
ground.

The 82nd verse of Surah Hud, clearly states the kind of the disaster
that befell the people of Lut. When Our Decree issued, We turned (the cities)
upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay, spread, layer on layer

The statement of turning (the cities) upside down implies that
the region was totally destroyed by a violent earthquake. Accordingly, The Lake of Lut,
where the destruction took place, bears obvious evidence of such a
disaster.

We quote German archaeologist Werner Keller as follows;

Together with the base of this mighty fissure, which runs precisely through this area,
the Vale of Siddim, including Sodom and Gomorrah, plunged one day into the abyss. Their
destruction came about through a great earthquake which was probably accompanied by
explosions, lightning, issue of natural gas and general conflagration.
(1)

As a matter of fact, the Lake of Lut, or the Dead Sea as it is otherwise
known, is located right on the top of an active seismic region, that is, an earthquake
zone:

The base of the dead sea is located with a tectonic rooted downfall. This valley is
located in a tension stretching between the Taberiye Lake in the north, and mid of Arabah
Valley in the south.(2)

The event was expressed as we rained down on them brimstones hard
as baked clay, spread, layer on layer in the last part of the verse. This is in
all probability meant to be the volcanic explosion that took place on the banks of the
Lake of Lut, and because of which the rocks and stones that erupted were in a baked
form. (The same event is related in the 173rd verse of Surat ash-Shuara as
We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): and evil was the shower on those
who were admonished (but heeded not)!)
In relation to this subject, Werner Keller writes;

The subsidence released volcanic forces that had been lying dormant deep down along the
whole length of the fracture. In the upper valley of the Jordan near Bashan there are
still towering craters of extinct volcanoes; great stretches of lava and deep layers of
basalt have been deposited on the limestone surface.(3)

A satellite photograph of the region where the people of Lut lived.

These lava and basalt layers constitute the greatest evidence that a
volcanic explosion and earthquake had once taken place here. The catastrophe depicted in
the following expression as we rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay,
spread, layer on layer in the Quran most probably points to this volcanic
explosion, and Allah knows best. The expression When Our Decree issued, We turned
(the cities) upside down which occurs in the same verse, must be referring to the
earthquake which caused volcanoes to erupt over the surface of the earth with devastating
impact, and to the fissures and debris brought by it, and only Allah knows the truth of
it.

The obvious signs conveyed by the Lake of Lut are indeed very
interesting. In general, the events which are related in the Quran take place in the
Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt. Right in the middle of these lands, is the
Lake of Lut. The Lake of Lut, as well as the incidents that have taken place around it,
deserves attention geologically. The Lake is approximately 400 meters below the surface of
the Mediterranean. Since the deepest place in the Lake is 400 meters, the bottom of the
Lake is 800 meters below the surface of the Mediterranean.

The Lake of Lut, or Dead Sea as differently called.

This is the lowest point on the earth. In other areas which are lower than
sea level, the depth is at most 100 meters. Another property of the Lake of Lut is that
the salt content of its water is very high, the density being nearly 30 %. Because of
this, no living organism, such as fish or moss, can survive in this lake. This is why the
Lake of Lut is called the Dead Sea in Western literature.

The incident of Luts people, which is recounted in the Quran,
occurred around 1800 B.C. according to estimates. Based on his archaeological and
geological researches, the German researcher Werner Keller noted that the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah were in fact located in the Siddim Valley which was the region at the
furthers and lowest end of the Lake of Lut, and that there were once big and widely
inhabited sites in those regions.

The most interesting structural characteristic of the Lake of Lut is an
evidence showing how the disaster incidence recounted in the Quran took place;

On the eastern shore of the Dead Sea the peninsula of el-Lisan protrudes like a tongue
far into the water. El-Lisan means the tongue in Arabic. Unseen from the land
the ground falls away here under the surface of the water at a prodigious angle, dividing
the sea into two parts. To the right of the peninsula the ground slopes sharply down to a
depth of 1200 feet. On the left of the peninsula the water remains remarkably shallow.
Soundings taken in the last few years established depths of only fifty to sixty feet. That
extraordinary shallow part of the Dead Sea, from the peninsula el-Lisan to the
southernmost tip, was the Vale of Siddim. (4)

Photographs of the Lake of Lut taken from satellite.

Werner Keller noted that this shallow part, which was discovered to
have formed subsequently, was the outcome of the aforementioned earthquake and the massive
collapse this earthquake had caused. This was the place where Sodom and Gomorrah were
situated, that is, where Luts people lived.

Once, it was possible to cross this region by walking. However, now, the
Vale of Siddim, where Sodom and Gomorrah were once situated, is covered by the flat
surface of the lower part of the Dead Sea. The collapse of the base as a result of the
dreadful catastrophe that came to pass in the beginning of the 2nd. millennium B.C.,
caused salt water from the north to flow into this recently formed cavity and filled the
basin with salty water.

The traces of the Lake of Lut are visible When one takes a rowing
boat across the Lake of Lut to the southernmost point, if the sun is shining in the right
direction, one sees something quite fantastic. Some distance from the shore and clearly
visible under the surface of the water, there are the outlines of the forests which the
extraordinarily high salt content of the Dead Sea preserved.

An illustration showing the volcanic eruption and the collapse that
followed it, which caused the whole people to disappear.

The trunks and roots in the shimmering green water are very ancient. The
Siddim valley, where these trees were once in blossom green foliage covered their twigs
and branches, was one of the most beautiful locations in the region.

The mechanical aspect of the disaster that befell people of Lut is
revealed by the researches of the geologists. These reveal that the earthquake which
destroyed the people of Lut, came about in consequence of quite a long crack in the
earth (a fault line), along the 190 kilometres distance making up the bed of the River
Sheriat. River Sheriat makes a fall of 180 meters in total. Both this and the
fact that the Lake of Lut is 400 metres below sea level are two important pieces of
evidence showing that an enormous geological event has taken place here.

The interesting structure of River of Sheriat and the Lake of Lut
make up only a small part of the crack or split passing from this region of the earth. The
condition and length of this crack have only recently been discovered.

The fault starts from the outskirts of Mount Taurus, stretches to the
southern shores of the Lake of Lut and proceeds over the Arabian desert to the Gulf of
Aqaba and continues across the Red Sea, ending up in Africa. Along the length of it,
strong volcanic activities are observed. Black basalt and lava exist in the Galilee
Mountains in Israel, high plain regions of Jordan, the Gulf of Aqaba and other areas
nearby.

All these remains and geographical evidences show that a catastrophic
geological event took place in the Lake of Lut. Werner Keller writes,

Together with the base of this mighty fissure, which runs precisely
through this area, the Vale of Siddim, including Sodom and Gomorrah, plunged one day into
the abyss. Their destruction came about through a great earthquake which was probably
accompanied by explosions, lightning, issue of natural gas and general conflagration. The
subsidence released volcanic forces that had been lying dormant deep down along the whole
length of the fracture. In the upper valley of the Jordan near Bashan there are still
towering craters of extinct volcanoes; great stretches of lava and deep layers of basalt
have been deposited on the limestone surface. (5)

Overhead view of the mountains around the Lake of Lut.

National Geographic makes the following comment on December 1957;

The mount of Sodom, a barren wasteland, rises sharply above the dead sea. No one has
ever found the destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, but scholars believe that they
stood in the Vale of Siddim across from these cliffs. Possibly flood waters of the Dead
Sea engulfed them following an earthquake. (6)

The Quran tells us in the following verses that there is no change
in Allahs laws;

They swore their strongest oaths by Allah that if a warner came to them, they would
follow his guidance better than any (other) of the Peoples: But when a warner came to
them, it has only increased their flight (from righteousness),- On account of their
arrogance in the land and their plotting of Evil, but the plotting of Evil will hem in
only the authors thereof. Now are they but looking for the way the ancients were dealt
with? But no change wilt thou find in Allah's way (of dealing): no turning off wilt thou
find in Allah's way (of dealing). (Surat al-Fatir: 42-43)

Above is a fresco representing the luxury and prosperity of the city of
Pompeii before the disaster. Down are petrified corpses unearthed in excavations made in
Pompeii.

Yes, no change will be found in Allahs way (rules).
Everybody, who stands against His laws and rebels against Him, is subject to the same
divine law. Pompeii, the symbol of the degeneration of the Roman Empire, was also involved
in sexual perversity. Its end was similar to that of the people of Lut.

The destruction of Pompeii came by means of the eruption of the volcano
Vesuvius.

The volcano Vesuvius is the symbol of Italy, primarily the city of Naples. Remaining
silent for the last two millennia, Vesuvius is named the Mountain of Warning.
It is not without cause that Vesuvius is known as such. The disaster that befell Sodom and
Gomorrah is very similar to the disaster that destroyed Pompeii.

To the right of Vesuvius lies Naples and to the east lies Pompeii. The lava and ash of
a huge volcanic eruption, that happened two millennia ago, caught the inhabitants of that
city. The disaster happened so suddenly that everything in the town was caught in the
middle of its everyday life and remains today exactly as it was two millennia ago. It is
as if the time had been frozen.

The removal of Pompeii from the face of the earth by such a disaster was
not purposeless. The historical record shows that the city was exactly a center of
dissipation and perversity. The city was marked by a rise in prostitution to such an
extent that even the number of brothels was not known. Male organs in their original sizes
were hung on the doors of the brothels. According to this tradition, rooted in Mithraic
belief, sexual organs and sexual intercourse should not be hidden but displayed
openly.

Some corpses uncovered at Pompeii and displayed in museums.

But the lava of Vesuvius wiped the whole city off the map in a single moment. The most
interesting aspect of the event is that nobody escaped despite the terrible violence of
the eruption of Vesuvius. It is almost like they did not even notice the catastrophe, as
if they were charmed. A family eating their meal were petrified right at that moment.
Numerous petrified couples were found in the act of intercourse. The most interesting
thing is that there were couples of the same sex and couples of young boys and girls. The
faces of some of the petrified human corpses unearthed from Pompeii were unharmed. The
general expression on those faces was bewilderment.

Here lies the most incomprehensible aspect of the calamity. How did thousands of people
wait to be caught by death without seeing and hearing anything?

This aspect of the event shows that the disappearance of Pompeii was
similar to the destructive events mentioned in the Quran, because the Quran
particularly points to sudden annihilation while relating these events. For
example, the inhabitants of the city described in Surah Ya-seen died all at
once in a single moment. The situation is told as follows in the 29th. verse of the surah;

It was no more than a single mighty Blast, and behold! they were (like ashes)
quenched and silent.

In the 31st verse of Surat al-Qamar, again the instantaneous
annihilation is emphasised when the destruction of Thamud is recounted;

For We sent against them a single Mighty Blast, and they became like the dry stubble
used by one who pens cattle.

The death of the people of Pompeii took place instantaneously as just as
the events recounted in the above verses.

Despite all these, things have not changed much where Pompeii once stood.
The districts of Naples where debauchery prevails do not fall short of those licentious
districts of Pompeii. The Island of Capri is a base where homosexuals and nudists reside.
The Island of Capri is represented as a Homosexual paradise in tourist
commercials. Not only on Capri and in Italy, but in nearly all the world, a similar moral
degeneration is at work and people insist on not learning from the awful experiences of
past peoples.